Country Rap: A Documentary

Everyone knows Elvis Presley’s In the Ghetto and A Little Less Conversation. But who wrote those songs? That was Mac Davis, and almost no one has heard of him. He shares this fate with dozens of other songwriters who have been responsible for massive hits. Coincidentally, many of them live in Nashville, Tennessee – though this documentary reveals that isn’t quite as accidental as it seems.

Hank Williams made two appearances on the Kate Smith TV Show in 1952, on 03/26/1952 and on 04/23/1952. The recordings from these two episodes provide us with with the only known available video of the legendary Hank Williams performing. Other guests on the show include Roy Acuff, June Carter and Anita Carter. Performances include Hey, Good Lookin', Cold Cold Heart, I Saw the Light, I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You) and Glory Bound Train.

Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered coupling gospel and country together.

CMT Crossroads is the country version of MTV Unplugged. In this installment Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire perform their own hits together and chat about their Southern roots.

Father John Misty performs a career spanning setlist at The Ryman in Nashville, TN, during the tour for his 5th studio LP, Chloë and the Next 20th Century

Chatthong, the manager of a local Thai country music band is facing the hardest time of his life. He has to find money to pay for his massive debts and even more importantly, he has to keep from losing his band along with his money. Unfortunately, Chatthong dies from a car crash accident before he is able to get the money. Though his body is thoroughly dead, his spirit somehow lives on. Sanor, Chatthong's assistant, is the only one who knows that his boss is now dead. Afraid of losing the precious band, Sanor keeps the secret by injecting "formalin" into Chatthong's dead body fresh. Chatthong and Sanor do their best to keep the band together, and away from their debt-collecting enemies.

Originally recorded on October 23, 1988 and edited for a 30-minute broadcast, Austin City Limits and New West Records have collaborated to release this sparkling performance given by Dwight and his early band, in its entirety. The audio has been re-mixed and re-mastered in stereo and 5.1 surround. Special guests include Buck Owens and Flaco Jimenez.

A look at what goes on backstage during the last broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show, where singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, a country music siren, and a host of others hold court.

A broke-down middle aged Texas troubadour yearns to be remembered like the southern bluesmen before him, but his failings and self-doubt forestall his musical dreams and blind him to the open road.

Neil Hamburger is a two-bit stand-up with a bad comb-over--an aging, phlegmy jokester with a penchant for cheap celebrity jabs. He's also the brilliantly odd creation of Gregg Turkington, a decidedly more gifted comedian who has found a loyal cult following for his Tony Clifton-esque character. In this concert release, Hamburger performs a handful of twangy country tunes alongside the Too-Good-For-Neil-Hamburger Band, a name that speaks the truth: the back-up group includes veteran rockers Prairie Prince, David Gleason, and Atom Ellis.

Documentary portrait of Joy McKean, Australia’s Queen of country music. Follows her performance and songwriting career, decades of touring around Australia, and her marriage of more than 50 years to fellow musician Slim Dusty.

Johnny Cash stands among the giants of 20th century American life. But his story remains tangled in mystery and myth. This documentary brings Cash the man out from behind the legend.

The Stanley sound is true old-time, mountain style bluegrass music. This film tells Ralph's story through interviews with Ralph, fellow musicians, and those who know Ralph best. Rank Stranger, White Dove, Pretty Polly, Man of Constant Sorrow, and over twenty other songs help tell the story. Ralph performs with Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless, Junior Brown, Larry Sparks, George Shuffler, Ricky Skaggs, and members of the Clinch Mountain Boys.

Stripped: Raw & Real is Taylor Swift's fifth EP. The EP was released in February 2009. It includes eight performances of songs and an interview.

The legendary Willie Nelson is in fantastic form on this 1990 Austin City Limits performance. The DVD includes his classic songs, Whiskey River, On The Road Again, Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain and Always On My Mind. The DVD also features a couple of duets with Shelby Lynne. This DVD includes performances that have not been available until now.

The story of the American music dynasty, the Carters and Cashes, and their decades-long influence on popular music.

In March 2005, Neil Young was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. Four days before he was scheduled for a lifesaving operation, he headed to Nashville, where he wrote and recorded the country folk album Prairie Wind with old friends and family members. After the successful operation and recovery period, he returned to Nashville that August to play at the famed Ryman Auditorium, once again gathering together friends and family for this special performance.

The Eagles performed live for the first time in April 1994 after a fourteen-year-long hiatus. Their reunion album’s name was in reference to Don Henley’s quote after the band’s breakup in 1980, when he commented that they would only play together again “when Hell freezes over”. Recorded at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California for an MTV special, the live sessions produced eleven tracks for the album, including a new acoustic version of “Hotel California”.

Sally Steele is on mission to reunite the battling Burnette family while discovering one of the greatest untold tales of rock history with an amazing adventure.

A thrilling and often beautiful concert sitting unseen in a vault for a number of years, Lucinda Williams: Live from Austin, TX is the Louisiana-born singer-songwriter's complete, pre-edited performance from a 1998 appearance on Austin City Limits. With its 16 well-chosen songs, largely culled from Williams's most rewarding material since the 1980s, Live is indispensable for longtime fans and a great introduction to her unique artistry for the uninitiated.